Macaroni & Cheese

Serves about 6~8

Ingredients:

8 oz grated sharp Cheddar cheese

8 oz grated Monterey Jack cheese

5 cups of milk, 1 cup reserved

2~3 table spoons of flour or corn starch.

3~5 table spoons of ice cold butter (not margarine)

6 slices of toast or 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs for topping

1 lb box of pasta

Parmesan cheese, bacon or whatever to season the topping (optional)

Topping:

First combine the bread crumbs or toast with the ice cold butter (not margarine) in a food processor and give it a pulse or two. Set the topping aside. Hint: If your’ making breadcrumbs using toast, Pepperage Farm's white and other hearty  breads seem to work well. Parmesan or other cheeses, bacon, cooked vegetables, or just about anything can also be added to the jazz up the topping.

Pasta:

Then cook the pasta. A one pound box is about right. The usual for Mac & Cheese is the small elbow macaroni, but of course any pasta will work.

Sauce:

While the pasta is cooking, in a sauce pan or Dutch oven (large enough to mix the cheese sauce and pasta together), slowly heat 4 cups of milk then slowly add the grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses melting them., stirring constantly so it does not boil. When the cheese is melted reduce the heat. Then combine the reserved cup of milk with the flour or corn starch and slowly whisk the milk & flour/corn starch mixture in to thicken the sauce. Be sure to keep the cheese sauce warm while you finish cooking and draining the pasta.

Bake:

After the pasta is cooked, drain it then gently stir it into the cheese sauce a little at a time. This is best done when the pasta is still hot so it absorbs the cheese sauce. After the cheese sauce and pasta are combine pour the sauce and pasta mixture into a buttered or sprayed glass/Pyrex 9x14 baking pan. Then top it with the breadcrumb / butter mixture and bake at 350 until brown, about 20 minuets to ½ an hour.